Buried PTSD
by NextGeneration18
Summary: A sequel to "The Fluff Thief". Jesse has a bad dream dealing with Zoom while she was held captive and Cisco comforts her. Another Jesse/Cisco QuickVibe one-shot.
**Hey, guys! Thanks for reviewing my last story** _ **The Fluff Thief.**_

 **Guest 1: I kind of like Cisco and Jesse better together myself (obviously). They look better together.**

 **Guest 2: I'll do some more thinking about that; I just need a good back story.**

 **Doc Lee: Thank-you for sending me your review through PM! And don't worry about it; for whatever reason my computer hasn't been picking up reviews; you're not the only one.**

 **Lex-no-Luthor: Thank-you**

 **Whoever else reviewed my story: I'm sorry but I never got your review; my computer wouldn't let me see it. So please send it to through PM! Thank you.**

* * *

" _Ms. Wells," Zoom's terrifying voice echoed throughout the room, "your father can't save you; he thinks he can, but he can't. there's no escaping the darkness."_

 _Jesse whimpered and turned her head away as he walked to her. She felt him touch her side and she came face-to-face with his horrific mask._

" _It's a shame, too; you're such a pretty girl." Jesse panicked as she felt his hand slide to her hip._

"Ahh!" Jesse fell off her cot and hit the ground hard. She looked around the darkness of the room and found it to be empty.

Then she remembered. She was safe at S.T.A.R. Labs, her father was in the next room, and Zoom was in another earth at the moment.

Still…she felt herself tremble as she stood up, unable to calm down. Caitlin's own trauma had triggered her own, and it wouldn't go away.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she left the room and decided to go make herself a warm drink; maybe that would help settle her down.

* * *

Cisco woke up to the sound of something falling and a cry. Always alert to the fact that someone could break in, he sat straight up in his bed. What had he heard? Was it in his dream? He listened for a moment and heard something-more likely _someone_ -moving around in the next room. He heard a small whimper and soft footsteps leaving the room.

Jesse.

Cisco was suddenly concerned. Did she have a bad dream? She had been melancholy ever since Caitlin returned. Maybe it brought bad reminders of her own captivity with Zoom. Caitlin had only been captured for a few weeks, Jesse a few months. Though she hid it well, her trauma might be even greater than Caitlin's.

Cisco threw the covers off of his legs and decided to follow Jesse.

* * *

Jesse entered the kitchen and got a mug from one of the cabinets. She smiled slightly when she saw it was Cisco's Doctor Who cup; he was such a nerd.

Looking around, she found a hot cocoa pack and pulled out the milk from the refrigerator.

As she closed the door, she nearly got a heart attack when she saw Cisco standing behind it.

"Oh, it's just you." Jesse placed her free hand to her chest as she put the milk gallon on the counter.

"Yep; just me." Cisco took one step closer. "You okay?"

"Hmm?"

" I heard you fall out of bed."

She blinked.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine." She turned her attention to pouring her milk and found that her hands were trembling as she picked up the mug.

Cisco walked up to the counter and leaned his side against it.

"You don't seem fine." He folded his hands, "Bad dream?"

Jesse paused before putting her mug in the microwave. She felt her heart warm slightly at his concern for her.

She nodded.

"Mhmm."

"Zoom?"

Jesse gave a short, humorless laugh as she set the timer for a minute and a half.

"Did you vibe me?"

"Didn't have to; you've been acting pretty…solemn since Caitlin got back; figured it brought back some pretty bad memories for you."

Jesse turned around and saw his concern for her in the dimmed kitchen lights. She was surprised at how completely disarming he could be…and how vulnerable she felt at the moment.

She crossed her arms and looked down at the floor.

"I thought I was cured." She felt tears spring into her eyes at baring her emotions like this, "that I wouldn't be able to see him on TV and think about all of the things, all of the ways he hurt me, tortured me, and made me lose hope more than on one occasion. And for a little bit, I was." She shrugged her shoulders and looked up at him.

"Then Caitlin came home…and I saw the horror in her eyes, the PTSD that I never got over…and I started to relive my captivity all over again." She swallowed hard trying not to cry but had little success. She covered her eyes with one hand and battled hard not to break down. It didn't work.

"Come here," She heard Cisco say. He had walked up to her and took her into his arms. Jesse gave a choked gasp and clung to him. "It's okay…he can't hurt you anymore." She felt and heard him reach behind her and open the microwave door…probably to keep the timer from going off.

"Can't he?" Jesse swallowed trying hard to calm down, "He's still out there Cisco; and I can't help but think he'll get his revenge on my father by killing me; it's the only he _can_ get his revenge on him."

She felt his hand rub her back.

"He's not focused on your father anymore, Jesse; he's focused on Barry and trying to destroy multiple earths. I doubt getting revenge on your father is at the top of his to-do list anymore."

Jesse nodded.

"I know; I just keep thinking that maybe…maybe…"

"Maybe, but not definitely." He crooned close to her ear, "Is there a possibility that Zoom could kill you? Yes. But that's the same with every one of us. Besides, he'd have to get past Barry and me before he could kill you, and he's been having a hard enough time getting past Barry lately. And my powers have been developing."

Jesse smiled.

"Caitlin told me." She went back to being solemn while Cisco continued to rub her back.

"Would you like to tell me your dream?"

Jesse leaned her head on his shoulder.

"I'm not sure yet." She closed her eyes enjoying the comforting embrace. It had been a while since she had let anyone hold her this way.

"Okay."

Jesse wished she could stay this way forever. She felt safe and that no one could touch her so long as she stayed in his arms. She felt herself calm down and relax. Cisco stroked her dark brown hair and nuzzled the top of her head.

Jesse opened her eyes and realized that they might do something they'd regret if they clung to each other any longer. She gently pulled away and Cisco let her go.

"Thank-you." She felt shy as she took her mug out of microwave. Her hand trembled slightly but for different reasons this time.

"No problem."

She felt his gaze on her as she fixed her hot chocolate.

"Want a little marshmallow fluff on top of your cocoa?"

Jesse laughed at the reference and the broken tension as she looked up to see his usual goofy grin.

"On my cocoa?"

"Why not? We put marshmallows in it, why not fluff? Besides, that stuff has disappeared twice as fast since I caught you red-handed last weekend."

Jesse laughed and tilted her head.

"True."

"I'll get it for you."

"Thank-you."

As she topped her cocoa with fluff, Cisco made himself a cup of cocoa and Jesse observed him from the corner of her eye. He didn't have to stay up with her, but he seemed to want to. She thought back just four nights before when they had their "eye-lock experience". They both acted like it had never happened for the most part, though she had felt his gaze on her more than once since. She was still trying to figure out what it meant.

As Cisco took out his cup from the microwave she looked into her own cup thoughtfully. She hadn't known him long, but knew that she could trust him with just about anything; he was just that type of person.

Cisco leaned his back onto the counter next to her while he spooned some fluff into his finished cocoa and Jesse decided to tell him.

"It wasn't just a bad dream," She started just above a whisper as Cisco turned his head toward her, "It was a memory."

Cisco nodded slowly.

"I figured just as much. PTSD takes it form in a lot of different ways."

Jesse nodded and swallowed.

"He…he used to…touch me quite a bit." She timidly glanced up at Cisco to see him freeze and tighten his grip on his mug. Even in the dim light, she could see the hardness of his gaze.

"Really?" His voice had a slight edge, and Jesse was wondering if it was because of Zoom did or because that she was telling him this. Maybe both.

Jesse nodded again.

"He never did more than just that; it was part of his mind games. He would lead me to believe he was going to do something to me but never did. I was so worn out and jumpy that I fell for it just about every time. He got pretty close on a couple of occasions though." She looked back up at him.

Cisco blew out a breath and ran his fingers through his shoulder length hair. He looked angry. And rightly so.

"I shouldn't be surprised that he would do this," he said after a few minutes, "He's a monster; still…" He looked back at her and put an arm around her shoulder, "These your most recurring nightmares?"

Jesse nodded and felt her heart rate pick up speed because his arm was around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry; I wish I could help."

Jesse smiled shyly and looked to the floor.

"I think you might have by just listening."

Cisco's mouth tugged into a smile and Jesse felt her heart race. She realized just how close he was to her and her stomach turned over. He looked into her eyes and tugged a bit of her hair. Jesse looked away and rubbed the back of her neck as Cisco pulled his arm away.

"Well, I guess I'll…head back to bed. You okay now?"

Jesse nodded still not looking at him.

"Alright. See you in the morning." She heard him put his cup in the sink and he walked right past her. It wasn't until five minutes later when she deposited her own cup in the sink that she realized he hadn't even taken one sip of his hot chocolate.

* * *

Two hot chocolate mugs in the sink.

Harry sighed, hung his head and set the coffee pot next to the sink before he headed to the security cameras.

He rubbed his face with his hands as he sat down at the desk. it was 5:30 in the morning; too early to be looking into this. It was just an innocent staring-into-each-other's-eyes-like-a-sappy-coming-of-age-movie four nights before, but who knows what he'll find this morning?

 _Let's see,_ he thought to himself, _I went to bed around midnight and so did they. I'll look into 1 this morning._

There was nothing at 1, but at 1:30 he saw Jesse come into the kitchen and get a mug for a drink. Harry scrunched his eyebrows together. She looked upset. Where was Cisco?

He came in a few seconds later while she was getting milk out of the refrigerator. She looked genuinely surprised to see him when she closed the door. They talked for a few minutes and Jesse continued to look upset until she broke down and started to cry. Harry got worried. Why was she crying? Of course when he took her into his arms he stiffened in his chair, then relaxed…until a few minutes later when he was still holding her.

 _Okay, Ramon; she needed a hug, she got one. Now please step away from my daughter._

He didn't and Wells rapped his thumb against the computer desk like he had a couple of mornings before….okay now he let go; good. He put his arm around her shoulders…now he was tugging her hair and looking into her eyes!? Harry started tapping his foot. Wait, he knew that look on a man's face if he ever saw it! He was going to kiss Jesse! Wells stood up and leaned in until his face was centimeters away from the screen. Jesse looked away and Cisco took away his arm. Harry sank back into his chair with relief as he watched Cisco put his cup in the sink and walk away back to his own bed.

He still felt like he was about to have his first heart attack though.

He watched as Jesse cleaned up her mess and walk out of the room and sighed with relief.

Still, all the same…

He crept back to the halls where there rooms are and checked in on them.

Good. Jesse was in her room and Cisco was in his.

Wells felt like he didn't need coffee as he headed back to the kitchen but made some anyway.

Things had been escalating pretty fast between the two of them since she had come to live at S.T.A.R. Labs; even more so since he had first seen them on camera a few nights ago. He had kept his eye on Ramon and saw him staring at his daughter more than on one occasion. He looked like a love-struck schoolboy at points. And Jesse had been looking almost longingly at him in the camera; he knew his daughter well enough to know it when he saw it.

It was almost like a Jane Austin movie.

Harry rubbed his eyes as he sat down at the table, the morning paper undesirable. The last thing he wanted to happen was for Jesse to fall in love with Ramon, even more at the bottom of his list was to have Jesse get her heart broke.

He wondered if Caitlin would enjoy a roommate.

* * *

 **Well, I thought that this story was significantly better than my last one! I know people liked it, but I thought this one had much more emotional depth to it than** _ **The Fluff Thief**_ **. Anyways, please review and comment but please no language and/or character bashing.**

 **Thank-you!**


End file.
